"Democracy is the most demanding of all forms of government in terms of
energy, imagination and public spirit required of the the individual."George C. Marshall

Campaign for an Informed Citizenery Concept

THE NEED: There are significant concerns being raised on all levels of the economic and political spectrum these days, concerns on national and international fronts which, although certainly integrated into conservative, liberal and alternative political views, involve all three. Said another way, the United States is facing problems which may well speak to a blend of all the political considerations embodied in the political and economic constructs existing across the world. In essence, this places a demand on our public of understanding principles tied to, among other things, the concepts of capitalism, democracy, socialism and communism. This of course means that the American public should have a clear understanding of these concepts in order to sort through and analyze each view, especially in the sense of what each is promoting in terms of the collective public good. It is the CIC’s position that there remains a lack of critical analysis related to our American experiment as well as a lack of corresponding ideological dialogue. In short, this has created a civic information/education ‘depression’ in the country, which, particularly given the significant issues on the table, may indeed be the most drastic of our public concerns.

OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEED: It is not hard to identify that this ‘depression’ exists, especially in that we can simply ask our fellow countrymen (and perhaps ourselves), either in an academic or general discussion setting, what they (we) in fact know about things like our own “capitalist identity” as well as the integration of it in terms of related political and economic concepts like socialism and communism. Aside from the anxiety (and even fear) that commonly results from mentioning things like capitalism or communism, the often relayed responses tied to not wanting to discuss politics, not caring about politics, or feeling that its simply too confusing, are more than enough evidence of our situation. Moreover, the limited research on what Americans might actually know in terms of the political principles tied to our two- party system, let alone to other ideological frames, again speaks to this concern.

That being said, it might be better asked, what this situation actually points to? In other words, in terms of both our national and international concerns, how can it be expected that we have a legitimate grasp of current issues and future options when this ‘lack’ exists? In terms of our national concerns like unemployment, the housing crisis, income disparities, crime, taxation and government responsibility, if our citizenry is unable to measure these problems against legitimate frames of analysis, then little could be expected in terms of addressing them. Relative to our international concerns, imagine trying to comprehend and/or compare what those in Europe, the Middle East or China are doing if we don’t understand the political and economic structures under which they live. And how can it possible for us to examine and justify our foreign (and military) strategies without this understanding? (On this same point, consider that this lack of understanding can also lead to all types of political chicanery – where politicians simply pander to public emotion, create half-truths and lies and do or say anything to garner a vote. Certainly, the sense of this happening would simply make trusting the political processes and our government, and even the import of the vote, all that more difficult.)

PLANNING TO ADDRESS THIS NEED : Over the last quarter century, and particularly following the publishing of his last book based on his own personal experiences, James Palombo has been discussing these matters in both academic and public settings across the world. His recommendation that we develop a more comprehensive frame within our secondary, post-secondary and adult education arenas from which people can better understand and discuss economic, political and social America, simply makes sense. This is particularly so in recognizing that we proceeded similarly with the integration of technological advancement. Said another way, if we’ve done this within the context of technological skills, why not with citizenship skills?

It is from this point that the CIC intends to proceed. We are seeking to expand the CIC theme in the context of an education-discussion caravan initiative, one that will bring the ideological and issue oriented concerns directly to the public. Said another way, ideological concepts can be tied to political policy and the issues of our day, which in turn can help with identifying future party and leadership elements as well as potential research endeavors. In short this method of exchange presents a viable, non-partisan, comprehensive yet cost effective mechanism that will create legitimate civic dialogue related to state, national and international concerns. (In conjunction with organizing discussions we would also anticipate arranging publicity in each locale via radio, TV, newspaper and the internet to further highlight the efforts. In this sense the overall caravan initiative should be seen as bringing the notion of developing more comprehensive ideological understanding to more of the American public.)

WHAT YOU CAN DO : As you might suspect, our effort will demand contacts, networking and funding. In this sense, we are hoping to attach to significant university, media, public and private contacts, as well as to funding sources (crowd or otherwise) that can match with our budget considerations. It is in any one of these areas where you can be of help in making our effort reach its potential, so we hope to hear from you accordingly.

Clearly, the mandate remains in front of us all - the “chatter” that we most often hear today, the lack of civic energy that exists, and the overall seriousness of the day demand our efforts - our concerns will not/cannot be addressed otherwise. In essence, this is something we cannot avoid undertaking – which also means pushing our leadership, irrespective of party affiliation, accordingly.

"Today, when the consequences of our action (and inaction) reach further into time and space than at any previous point in history, we more than ever need politically engaged citizens." Jakob von Uexkull